re: Songwriters-what's your process?

I sent you a song

It doesn’t wanna let me send more than one at a time

Well damn boys, I wanna hear some original tunes and lyrics. Hell, I’ll try and put some music to your lyrics if you’d like. I do that for a buddy of mine a good bit. He and I were play different styles so he likes hearing my interpretation.

My band is more of a roots rock style band but that is pretty fluid. I have songs that are country/bluesy rock/folk/singer songwriter/ etc.
I never really write with a specific style in mind. I do add the progression, then take what I have to the band and we flesh it out as it needs to go.


ETA: all that to say, the vocal melody will and feel of the lyrics will give me the style

Good stuff.

I especially liked the line "she had a look of Depression like John Steinbeck."
It's clever


You've got some good Rock-a-Billy rhythms.


I did over a decade in the plants. Money I made wasn't worth the time I missed.
Wrote this one working a refinery in south east Texas


West Texas Days


Vs1:
Well I needed money,
Had to lighten my load.
So I said my goodbyes,
And set out on the road,
Chasin that paper,
Just to make the ends meet,
The only thing certain,
Is death and high taxes,
And these boots on my feet,

Chorus:
And it’s West Texas days,
Or east Texas nights,
The only thing that don’t change,
Are these neon lights,
Lonely hotel rooms,
Meals from a sack,
And lord I miss home,
But I don’t know,
If I can ever go back,

Vs2:
Well I knew a lady,
That was pretty as sin,
And she’d send me pictures,
In not much more than skin,
Her old man didn’t like it,
And he made it real clear,
That I’d have a bullet,
Waiting for me,
If I showed up back there,

Chorus:
And it’s West Texas days,
Or east Texas nights,
The only thing that don’t change,
Are these neon lights,
Lonely hotel rooms,
Meals from a sack,
And lord I miss home,
But I don’t know,
If I can ever go back,

Bridge:
Well these reckless, restless highways,
Just roll on, roll on, roll on,
Things just ain't been going my way,
For so long, so long, so long,
And it's all I can do,
To just make it through,
One more lonely day on my own,
But it's ride or get thrown...

Musical interlude

Vs3:
Well I pay the bills on,
A house where I don’t live,
Send my ex wife money,
It’s all I have to give,
Yeah I miss my children,
My family and friends,
Well the road just gets longer,
But the hunger gets stronger,
Just don’t know where it ends.

Chorus:
So it’s West Texas days,
Or east Texas nights,
The only thing that don’t change,
Are these neon lights
Lonely hotel rooms,
Meals from a sack,
And lord I miss home,
But I don’t know,
If I can ever go back,

I did complete the lyrics to one song, but I don't write music.
I do have a title I've had in mind for a long time. It would make a perfect George Strait song.
"If You're Tired of Lookin for Mister Right (Would You Settle for Mister Right Now?)"

quote:

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But it's still partly built.

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There is always a disconnect between the music and lyrics. I think I would be better off if I didn’t take the music as far as I do, it typically wears me out. But I do it in garage band in a phone or iPad which I’m sure doesn’t help.

Committing lyrics to paper is difficult. But I know from one of your recent posts I’m a lot like you in that I could easily waste a day or two manically writing something and blocking other things out. And it can come out of nowhere

Edit: I’ll inevitably spend too much time on it and have another idea before by the time I’m ready to waste another few days

quote:

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But I know from one of your recent posts I’m a lot like you in that I could easily waste a day or two manically writing something and blocking other things out. And it can come out of nowhere

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Which is I like songwriting and poetry. The more concentrated format makes me tell the story in about 3-5 minutes, and I can knock that out in an hour or 2.

The Tiger Dicks saga consumed about 8 hours. A fun write, sure. But very few will take the time to read something it took me 8 hours to write


But maybe I can hook you into a 5 minute read or listen

quote:

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I don't know how many times I've thought about this and have had other people say it.

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I’m gonna be in line if they ever bring back lobotomies

quote:

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Truth is though, I really enjoy the process of all of it, from writing, to recording to pitching songs. It can be frustrating sometimes, but so is fishing and fishing costs a lot more money, if you get serious about it.

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I suppose this is true and I’ve made a lot of music friends


We are truly cooked as Americans. Essentially doomed to do something we don’t like to survive and support doing things we do like all while they dangle famous fishermen and musicians in our face to convince us to spend more money at bass pro and guitar center even though the people that get to do it for a living are hand picked by the industry and not because of merit

Tbh I buy my stuff from junkies off fb marketplace

It’s kind of unfair because if you live in an undeveloped country and don’t want to be a hamster on a wheel you can dig your own well and subsistence farm and be just fine but if you try to do that here the irs and atf make an example of you

Hang in there man and always try to take care of yourself. Eventually you can get to a place where you never have to do a damn thing you don't want to.